Madrid to Ikea

Last week went smoothly. I spent most of the day teaching and that’s about it. I’m now teaching 2^nd grade math twice a week, which is different. The kids are crazy, and I don’t speak the language to calm them down very well. It’s getting better though and I think eventually I’ll invoke the same respect that the other teachers get.

On Friday after school was out, Lola took me to the bus station in her car. We found my bus and then I was off on a four hour bus ride to Madrid. When I bought my ticket I chose the widow seat, but when I got on the bus a girl was already asleep in my seat so I had the aisle. The trip wasn’t bad, I got through all of animal farm and still had time for nap before arriving in Madrid. The only interesting part of the ride was that as our bus pulled into the station it hit another bus. I think we knocked the mirror off of the bus but no one was hurt.

At the station Jairo picked me up and took me to the congress. I didn’t know what congress was exactly but I figured, and packed clothes for, that I would be seeing the political party in action for a couple hours. As it turns out congress is a meeting and I was got to see Mark Finely talk. After the meeting we went back to the bus station picked up Melani and drove out to Jairo’s house. Saturday we went to see Mark Finely again, ate lunch at Jairo’s and then hit the town. They showed me all of the cool buildings and statues and we walked through the main streets and plaza’s.  There was tons of really neat architecture to see and I tried to take a lot of pictures but my camera was going dead. In one of the main squares I saw a kfc and a starbucks. I wasn’t hungry but I decided to get a latte. Unfortunately they don’t have those in Zaragoza.

When we got hungry we stopped at a bar (it’s what every restaurant here is) and got some very tasty food. It was cod covered in cheese and then deep fried, it wasn’t healthy at all but it was delicious. Apparently back in the 1800’s the current president’s political party was started in that bar so that was interesting.

Sunday we slept in some and had crepes for breakfast. Then we drove out and I got to see my first castle! It was very cool to walk the ramparts and get to look out of the arrow slits. After the castle is was off to the bus station and back to Zaragoza.

Another good thing about going to Madrid was that I got to meet Carrie the SM from Southern who will be working in Madrid. It’s always good to know more people in different places!

Monday was a good school day. Lola was sick so I sat in and supervised her classes, the kids behaved and all was well. After school I need to go to Ikea and get a pillow and some clothes hangers. Last week Lola had told me what bus to take and where it generally was. I think I forgot part of the instructions though because my bus made everyone get off at the cemetery. “No problem,” I thought, “she said it was just past the cemetery. I’ll just walk through.” This was my bad decision of the night. I walked and walked and walked and thought I was done with the cemetery when it started again. Then I noticed the wall that ran all the way around the cemetery. I could see the Ikea sign floating in the distance but there was a 12 ft wall blocking my way. I had already come so far I decided to find a way over the wall. After another half mile of walking I came to a metal gate. I used the hinges to crawl up and then walked like a cat burglar on top of the wall until I found a place where it was low enough to jump down. A brisk 2 mile walk through a random forest, a run across the freeway and I was there! I bought what I needed and some Arizona tea. J The bus ride back took a quarter of the time that the walk over had. 

The Past Week

Where to start. I’ve seen so much this past week it’s amazing. On Sunday I woke up very early and went for a walk. I explored around the school and found a beautiful park. There was some sort of roller skating race happening around a long string of fountains. There are lots of cool statues and bits of old roman wall all over the park. I went to a little café and got some espresso, the shop had wifi so I got to email my parents that day. In the afternoon Ana Lugo and her family took me out to eat. The food was all amazing although I think it was Italian not Spanish. After we ate I went with Ana to see the school.  She showed me around and told me what I was going to be doing.

On Monday I woke up at 3 a.m. My internal clock was still very messed up and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I read my devotions and messed around until about 5 then I decided to go for a run. Unfortunately I’m out of shape so my run didn’t take as long as I wanted. I ended up out of breathe at top of a hill in the park overlooking the city. I just had to stop and look. Even early in the morning the city is busy. I’m not used to all the people but it’s exciting. Since there are so many apartments there are always people coming and going on almost every street. I walked for miles down side streets and never had a street to myself.

I got to school about thirty minutes early and was instantly recruited to help prepare orientation binders for the parents. It was just papers together to help the parents of the children know what will be going on during the year. After that was done I went with Lola (the 4^th and 5^th/ English teacher) to her class. She had a family lunch she had to go to, so she gave her kids homework, in Spanish, and then left me in charge. I didn’t even really know what they were supposed to be doing but after they were done filling out their worksheets I let them talk quietly. A few of them speak a little English so I talked to them. Excitement started when one of the 5^th graders suddenly jumped up and charged another kid. I had to pull him off to stop a fight, then I sent him the principals office. Apparently they had been fighting all week and some comment had finally set him off. I wish I spoke Spanish better so I could stop these things before they happen. After an hour of sitting with the kids, I was starting to wonder if I had missed some instruction from Lola. All of the kids were done with their homework and were starting to get out of hand. I was about to go find Ana to ask, when Hector showed up. He is the P.E. teacher for the school. Since Lola was gone I went with Hector. We took the kids about a mile away from the school to a big gym. It was interesting trying to cross town with a bunch of kids in tow. The drivers here are ridiculous. The kids played a game called 5 passes and capture the flag.

After P.E. was lunch back in the school. It was amazing and the cooks gave me lots of food to take home with me. The kids were all well behaved and cleared their plates nicely. Everyday after lunch I go to help Pili another teacher monitor the playground. The kids all want me to play with them, but it’s hard to play with them and watch to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to. I talk with them the best I can while I watch though and I think I’ll play football (soccer) with them one day a week. The playground is on the top floor of the apartment building the school is apart of. It’s small but the kids all seem to avoid running into each other… somehow. Sometimes I don’t know if the kids are playing or fighting. I have to jog over and make sure everyone is smiling. They all listen to me though, which is good.

For the last part of the day I go to help Anabel, the 2 and 3 year old teacher. Basically I make sure that the 2 year olds enjoy their nap and don’t get up and make noise. It’s easy, fun, and the kids are adorable. On Monday seeing all the kids nap made me tired. After school was out, I helped clean up and then went home and went to sleep. I was so tired that I slept until 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, which was perfect.

 School on Tuesday was more involved for me. Lola was back so we spent the better part of the morning teaching kids English. The material we are teaching to the 4 and 5 year old kids is the same stuff I learned in high school… it’s pathetic, but it shows me how much I need to learn. Tuesday was the last day of school for the week because this is Zaragoza’s big holiday. After school two of the teachers, Anabel and Ruht (pronounced like Ruth) communicated to me that they were going to show me the Fiesta. I was going to go with Anabel that night and Ruht the next morning. I thanked them and they took off. Lola then told me that she was going to show me where her house was so that I can go there to use the internet, so I skyped my mom real quick and then we were off. On the way we were intercepted by Flor, one of the ladies who works at the school. She told me that Pili had a daughter who spoke English that I had to meet. Lola had shopping to do, so I went with Flor. She said that Pili’s daughter Melani didn’t get back from the University until 8 so we had some time to kill. We went to Flor’s parents house and using google translator we talked for a while. Then Flor and her father took me to an electronics store and helped me purchase a cheap phone for local use. Then Flor and I walked around for about an hour. I really enjoyed talking with her, she speaks a little English and I speak a little Spanish and between us we were able to communicate almost everything we wanted to say. At the around 8 Flor dropped me off at Pili’s house and I met Melani. She is a Chemical Engineering Major at the college here and she speaks almost perfect English. We talked for a while and she told me that she and her friends were going out for the Fiesta the next night and I was welcome to come along.

The next thing I had planned was to meet Anabel at the school. We walked back to her house and ate while we watched the Soccer game, then it was off to the Fiesta. Anabel showed me how to get downtown and was very insistent that I always know which direction home was. It was a good learning experience and I got to see a lot of cool stuff. This holiday is known as Pilar. It is a Catholic holiday celebrating the virgin. There is a statue of her set up with a pyramid of scaffolding set up around her then people dress up in traditional dress and bring flowers to her. They fill up the scaffolding with the flowers. With Anabel I got to see the scaffolding empty and the party happening around it. That night I got home around 1 a.m. and my jet lag was cured.

I met Ruht and her husband the next morning and we went downtown again. This time I got to see all the people dressed up and all the flowers around the Pilar. It was beautiful. I couldn’t believe how many flowers there were. I also got to look inside the cathedral and an old roman market building that is now an art museum. I was looking at the stonework in the ceiling more than the paintings on the wall though. Afterwards we went out to eat and I had a speaking mishap. I asked Ruht what she was going to order and I thought she told me she was deciding between two different dishes, so I said in similar words that I was deciding between a sandwich or a salad. Apparently she was ordering both however so I ended up with a gigantic ceasar salad and a huge sandwich. I was embarrassed but it was okay. After we ate we went back to their apartment and watched Friends in Spanish. The voices were so odd, but it worked. With the help of English subtitles I actually was able to pick up a lot of things. I’m learning a lot of Spanish very quickly. I’m able to understand a lot more than I can speak though. At 7:30 I met Melani and we took a bus downtown to meet her friends. There were three girls who all spoke a little English and three guys who didn’t speak any. I made a deal with one of the guys that in four months or less I would speak fluently with him in Spanish. All of the guys apparently had things they had to do so after half an hour they took off. The girls were adamant that they were more fun anyway. We walked around the shops and they got baked potatoes. They liked teaching me Spanish so I got to ask a lot of questions I’ve had about the language. Then we got candy and they showed me a few more things before we all headed home. I had an awesome time and now I have friends roughly my age that speak English. They have my next four weekends already lined up for me, to Madrid, to the Pyrenees, to play volleyball somewhere. I’m excited.

Thursday was my catch up day. I slept in and then hung out with Moises and Flor. Maria Ester was gone this week staying with Flor’s sister. Tonight (Friday night) I’m going to vespers and there is some youth thing going on so that should be fun.

Everyone here is so nice, they have all made me feel so accepted. They made sure I had something to do during this holiday and that I got to see the important parts of the party. I have dinner invites from tons of people and invites to Valencia and the Pyrenees and to a waterpark by Barcelona. I think this year is going to be amazing. The kids are great too. They are all so cute and energetic and they all want to show me their toys and what they can do on the playground. I showed a kids how to spin one top on top of another and all the kids went nuts, that was all he did for the rest of recess. I feel so included and like I’m a part of things. I love it here.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

My plane flight over wasn’t too bad, I was sitting next to a nice lady, and there were good movies to watch to pass the time. By the time we hit Madrid though I was anxious to get off the plane. My neck hurt and I was tired. I got off, shuffled through line with a hundred other people while my passport got stamped, and collected my baggage. I have 3 big bags plus my backpack and my computer bag. It was a nightmare trying to haul all of it until I grabbed a trolley cart. Then life got easier. To use the carts you have to put a euro in the front of them, which unlocks them from the rest of the trolleys. When you’re done using it, you return the trolley, hook it back up, and your euro pops out. They were a lifesaver.

            I pushed my trolley out of the door to a crowd of waiting people. There were people holding signs, but I didn’t see my name anywhere. I got almost to the end of the ramp before a lady (I believe her name was Luna) rushed up to me. She was there to pick me up. We caught a taxi to the train depot and she got me a ticket to Zaragoza. After explaining the ticket to me, it was all in Spanish, she helped me get another trolley and sent me on my way. The train station was crowded and my train car was full, but I got on first so I had plenty of room for all my bags. On the train they showed the movie “The Lincoln Lawyer” I was more interested in looking out the window, but I plugged my headphones in to hear…. Spanish! It was very odd to see Matthew Whatshisname but hear some other voice. I tried following along but the story seemed rather complicated and my Spanish isn’t very good.

            When the train arrived at Zaragoza I collected all of my things, piled it all on another trolley and headed up the station. Ana Lugo was there immediately to pick me up and she helped me load all of my stuff into her car. Then we were off! Zaragoza is a beautiful city! Ana showed me a lot of things as we were going, the stadium, a concert hall that is supposedly the Carnage Hall of Spain, a beautiful public park that’s only a few blocks from my apartment. She told me about the festival that is happening next week. Apparently we only have two school days next week, the rest of the week is the most important holiday for Zaragoza. There are two specific things she told me about, one is celebrating the day that Columbus sailed from Spain, the other is a day to honor the virgin; lots of people bring gifts to the virgin to thank her. It all sounds very interesting.

            My apartment is very cool. The family I’m staying with, I only know their first names, Moises, Flower, and Ester a adorable four year old who loves playing with my Where’s Waldo posters J., all seem very friendly. They don’t speak much English, but I don’t speak much Spanish, so it’s a trade off, I’m excited to learn as much as I can from them. My room is very cool, the window looks over the area in the middle of the building, which is odd but novel! The only issue I’ve had so far is that I blew a fuze when I plugged my iphone into the wall while the lights were on. I’ll have to ask how to avoid this. I hope I can charge things, I’m guessing it’s my power strip.

            Ana left me to move in and shower, telling me she’d be back in an hour to take me for food. I took a shower, noticing that there is no toilet paper here, I’ll have to get used to the water method… After my very refreshing shower, I put my clothes away. I need to get some hangers but there are so many shelves it’s amazing. I won’t have any problems storing my clothes nicely. After I put my clothes away, Moises showed me around. I’m pretty sure I saw a wifi receiver plugged into their computer, and I know I saw a box for a router, so I’ll have to ask about getting internet.

            After a while Ana called Moises to tell me to come down. She walked with me back to her apartment about 3 blocks away and I had supper with her and her husband Fernando. There was a cold tomato and veggies soup that was interesting, a keesh which was delicious, bread with a  tomato/butter spread on it that I liked, and Spanish asparagus which is very different from what I’m used to. For desert we each had a shot of espresso from the tiniest little tea cups. Fernando said it best without milk, but Ana and I each put some in. It’s a little to bitter for me to drink plain. I think I’m going to try out my Spanish tomorrow and go to the coffee shop that’s between my apartment and the school.

            After supper Fernando let me send my parents an email from his computer to let them know I was alive. Then Ana took me to the church, there were a lot of people there to meet, including both the teachers I’ll be working with. I also got to meet the youth. There were a lot of people to meet and I don’t remember many names, but everyone seemed very friendly. They were practicing a praise song that is now stuck in my head, even though I don’t know what most of the words mean. I think most of them are high school age, but some looked older, I’m not really sure. I met a guy from Malta who spoke English, and a girl named Silvia who also spoke English well. I really enjoyed sitting and listening to them sing and try to decipher what they were talking about. Eventually though I found myself nodding off. At that point I had been up for around 30 hours with only short naps on the plane. I said goodbye and walked back to the apartment. I was only planning on taking a short nap but I slept through my alarm and woke up around 2 a.m. I think I’m going to take a Nyquil and sleep some more though to get my schedule on track. Maybe the Nyquil will help with my stuffy nose too.

            I’m so excited to be here and experience everything new. I can’t wait for school on Monday to meet all the kids I’ll be working with. I want to see everything, and I guess I might just have the time too.

P.S. On the bigger sidewalks there is a smooth piece of concrete made for bikes… it’ll be perfect for long boarding on. 

Wheels Up

It's 3:30 a.m., it's my birthday, I'm leaving. :)